PressEthic

John Battelle, the co-founding editor of Wired, recently did an interview with Patrick Phillips of I Want Media. Here is an excerpt:

IWM: Is print media on its way out?

Battelle: No, I wouldn't say that print media is on its way out, and I've been saying this since we launched Wired in '92. I would say, however, that it better be very well justified if it is going to exist. Print is an extraordinarily important, wonderful medium. But I think we've seen the passing of print as the medium of news delivery. There are plenty of examples where print was the best we could do because it's all we had. But the online medium is better.

IWM: Are newspapers better off online?

Battelle: The essence of what makes a great newspaper has nothing to do with paper. It has to do with being a great community voice, reporting a story very well, and gaining the trust of your audience and your marketers. The real question is: Are we going to have a transport system that's going to allow people to carry news around with them wherever they go the way paper does? That's the one thing about paper that really trumps other media. We've all seen "Minority Report." The devices that are shown in that film I think are realistic over the next 20 years. It's basically the Web displayed on a flat panel device that folds -- a lightweight, low power, flat panel. That idea has been around forever. That device will help save newspapers. People are reading on the Internet. That's where the action is. That's where the advertising is going to go.

I don’t know if the online medium is better, but I do think Battelle makes some very relevant points. It is true that the one wonderful thing about a newspaper is that you can take it anywhere, from the subway to Central Park, and you won’t lose your service connection.

However, as Battelle hints at, technology is advancing at such a tremendous rate that the Internet is becoming more accessible everyday. Hotspots are popping up everywhere, and now government officials want to get in on the action. Jessie Seyfer of the Mercury News reports that Gavin Newsom, San Francisco’s mayor, has proposed a plan to bring WiFi access to the entire city. According to a related article by Eric Griffith, the plan will include designated hotspots – parks, business centers, etc. – where anyone with a WiFi card will be able to access the Internet for free. All other parts of the city will provide WiFi access for a low fee.

Though the project is receiving some resistance by companies who provide broadband in San Francisco, the plan seems to be going forward. If it works, I imagine the trend will spread quickly. According to Seyfer’s article, Philadelphia has a plan in place as well.

So instead of buying a newspaper, people could take their laptops to the park and read current news, check their email, and perhaps finish a blog too - all for free!